Seamless surface coverings (sometimes referred to as chemical surface covering materials) may be used for wall or floor covering and provide a clean, seamless solution for wall and floor covering found in residential, commercial and industrial areas. Currently, both commercially and residentially, there are many different types of chemical surface covering materials that yield a seamless surface on a substrate that is both durable and decorative. Chemical surface covering materials may be used on a variety of substrates, such as concrete, wood, and the like. These chemical surface covering materials typically consist of a clear (or pigmented) hardening material and a plurality of particles. Most commonly, the hardening material, such as polyester, urethane, polyurethane, polymethylmethacryl ate, methylmethacrylate (MMA), polyaspartic, polyurea, or epoxy compounds, is applied in viscous form to a substrate. Then, a group of particles is broadcast or distributed on top of the hardening material, and the coating is allowed to cure. Alternatively or in combination with the above, particles may be mixed with the hardening material to create a composite slurry that is then distributed over a substrate to provide a durable and decorative coating. A top coat may then optionally be applied. Once cured, the resultant surface covering is nearly or completely seamless. Examples of floor covering materials that incorporate some combination of hardening materials and particles include, but are not limited to, quartz floors, decorative chip floors, decorative flake floors, mica floors, and terrazzo floors.
The particles used may vary in size (e.g., length, width, and depth), geometry, color, and relative proportion to one another. Examples of particles used in seamless surface covering applications include, but are not limited to, color chips, color flakes, color quartz, mica, glass, stones, and rocks (generally referenced as aggregate or decorative media). As it is difficult to predict what pattern a plurality of particles will assume prior to application to a substrate, it may be difficult for a consumer to visualize or imagine what a finished surface covering might look like for a given plurality of particles. One may produce “swatches” or samples of a particle pattern, though this approach only captures a small portion of the near infinite possible configurations, limiting the ability to accurately simulate a particle pattern
Thus, there is a need to model particle patterns without having to perform an installation of a seamless surface covering.